Applicator device for applying liquid coating to photographic prints



- Oct. 30, 1956 c. A. ov "rsos 2,768,403

APPLICATOR DEVICE F APPLYING LIQUID COATING TO PHQT HIC PRINTS Filed May1953 A OR OGRAP 2'7,

INVENTOR dWVMW ATTQRNEYS APPLICATOR DEVICE FOR APPLYING LIQUID COATINGTO PHOTOGRAPI-IIC PRINTS Charles A. Govatsos, West Newton, Mass.,assignor to Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., :1 corporation ofDelaware This invention relates to an applicator for applying a liquidcoating composition to a surface and more particularly to a device forcoating the surface of a photographic print.

The copending application of Edwin H. Land et al., Serial No. 302,742,filed August 5, 1952 for Photographic Accessory (now Patent No.2,692,675 issued October 26, 1954), discloses the desirability ofapplying a liquid coating composition to a finished photographic printfor improving the stabilization of the print, as by protecting thesurface thereof from the hazards encountered in handling and storage,such as dirt or dust, finger prints, scratches and the like. Inasmuch asthe coating composition may deteriorate on contact with air, it isdesirable to protect the coating composition from exposure to theatmosphere as well as to protect the coating device from physical harmwhile being carried and stored.

Objects of this invention are to provide, in combination, a hermeticallyscalable container and an inexpensive, compact applicator device whichcan be removably carried within the container, the applicator comprisinga holder for retaining an absorbent means charged-'with a volume ofliquid coating'composition suflicient to coat a plurality ofphotographic prints, the absorbent means being adapted to be rubbed infrictional contact with the surface of a photographic print for applyinga coating to the print surface.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an applicator device ofthe character described comprising a holder formed substantially in theshape of a channel with divergent legs for retaining therebetween anabsorbent material charged with a liquid coating composition, the holderbeing so designed and constructed as to be convenient to grasp,toprovide means for forcing the coating composition to be exuded fromthe portion of the absorbent material lying between the legs of theholder to the portion of the material, extending beyond the legs of theholder, which is rubbed in contact with the surface of a photographicprint, and to cooperate in a special way with the container in which theapplicator is mounted.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the product possessing the features,properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in thefollowing detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of whichwill be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevationof a preferred embodiment of nited States PatentH 2,768,403 Patented Oct. 30, 1956 the invention illustrating acontainer in section with the applicator device in full elevationmounted within the container;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 illustrating oneembodiment of the applicator device;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, illustrating anotherembodiment of the applicator device; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the applicator device.

As previously indicated, this applicator device is to be used with printcoating compositions of the nature which deteriorate when subjected toexposure to the atmosphere, therefore making it desirable to employ ahermetically scalable container for storing and carrying the device. Forthis purpose, a container with a removable closure therefore may beformed preferably of glass and/or plastic having at least a portionwhich is provided with a rounded cross section for cooperative mountingof the applicator device within said container. The container, includingthe stopper or end wall provided by the container closure, should be ofsufficient length to receive an elongated applicator device, while itstransverse dimensions should be slightly larger than the applicatordevice whereby the applicator device is retained within the containerwith a minimum of end and side play.

A preferred form of container of the character described is shown inFig. l of the drawing as comprising a cylindrical vial 12 closed at oneend by an end wall 14 and at the other end by a removable stopper orclosure 16 of any suitable design and formed preferably of an organicplastic material such as polystyrene.

An applicator device of the character herein described comprises asubstantiallyrigid holder and an absorbent element retained within saidholder. The absorbent element may be of any appropriate absorbentmaterial which will serve to retain a quantity of liquid coatingcomposition and may be of cotton or wool in any form, such as sorbentelement 20 should be substantially equal in length to holder 18 and sodimensioned that at least aportion of said element will extend beyondthe sides of the channel member providing a means contactable with thesurface to be coated for applying to said surface a liquid coatingcomposition carried by the absorbent material. A preferred form ofcoating element may comprise multiple layers of nonwoven cotton fabricassembled and held in face-to-face relation between the sides of theholder.

1 For possible arrangements of assembly of layers, reference may be hadto the copending application of Albert J. BacheldenSerial No. 303,286,filed August 8, 1952 for Applicator Devices For Applying Coatings ToPhotographic Prints' The mass of absorbent element 20 is proportioned sothat it can contain a volume of liquid composition sufficient to coat aplurality of photographic prints as, for example, the number of printsobtained from one roll of film.

Holder 18 may be formed of any suitable sheet material such as metal ororganic plastic as, for example, polystyrene. The sheet material shouldbe substantially rigid so as to retain its shape when formed by suchmethods as extrusion processes or by being drawn through an appropriateforming die.

In a preferred embodiment of the applicator device illustrated in Fig.2, holder 18 comprises an elongated channel member with externallyconcave sides 24, a portion of the sides being bent or flanged sharplyinward at an acute angle so as to form internal diverging sides 26diverging toward the opening of the channel. Coating element 20 isfrictionally retained between the internal divergent sides 26 of thechannel by forcing the said element into the relatively narrow openingbetween the edges 28 of the internal divergent sides 26. The portion ofabsorbent element 20 extending through the narrow opening lying adjacentto the bottom 30 of the channel expands to a thickness greater than thewidth of the opening between edges 28, thereby effectively retainingsaid element within the holder.

It is to be noted that since only the surface 32 of the portion of theabsorbent element 2%) extending beyond the sides of the holder isemployed to apply a coating to the surface of a photographic print, theliquid composition in that portion of the absorbent element adjacent tosurface 32 is rapidly exhausted by use, while a relatively large volumeof liquid composition may remain impregnated in the portion of absorbentelement 20 lying between sides 24 of holder 18, and it is in thisconnection that the internal divergent sides 26 of the holder prove tobe an important feature. By squeezing or applying pressure to theoutside of the holder, the internal divergent sides 26 exert a pressureon coating element 20 in the direction of the surface 32 thereofemployed to contact a photographic print, thereby forcing the liquidcomposition out of the portion of the absorbent element lying within theholder and into the portion extending beyond the sides of the holderwhere it is readily available for application to a photographic print.

The coating device is adapted to be employed by grasping the holderbetween the finger tips and rubbing the device, including the contactsurface 32 of absorbent element 20, over the surface of a print to becoated, and in frictional pressure contact therewith. By the use of achannel member with external concave sides 24, not only is the holdermade more comfortable to grasp and squeeze by the finger tips, butcontact of the fingers with the liquid coating composition carried bythe absorbent element is avoided. Another advantage arising from the useof a channel member supporting an absorbent element is found in the factthat this construction has a generally rectangular cross section. Whenthe applicator device is inserted within the container, the area ofcontact between the applicator device and the walls ofthe vial islimited to the small area comprising the lengthwise edges of theapplicator device, thereby restricting the opportunity for the liquidcoating composition contained in the applicator to be distributed on thewalls of the vial and thence to the holder.

An applicator similar in character to that shown in Fig. 2- but with amodified holder construction is disclosed in Fig. 3. The holder 18comprises an elongated generally channel-shaped member having reentrantwalls 34 converging to a point intermediate the base 36 of the channeland the opening thereof, and then diverging towards said opening, theedges of the walls adjacent to the opening being rolled outward to forma curved rim or flange 38. The construction of the holder serves toeffectively retain the coating element within the holder between theconvergent portion of the walls, while the divergent portions of thewalls facilitate forcing the liquid composition out of the elementretained therebetween and into the working portion of. the absorbentelement extending beyond the holder for contact with a surface to becoated. In addition, this particular construction, together with acurved rim or flange 38, serves to provide a holder which is comfortableand convenient to grasp while contact between the fingers and theabsorbent element is avoided by the outwardly curved rim or flange 38.In addition, outwardly curved rim 38 may be utilized to contact theinterior of the container for holding the applicator device within thecontainer so that the applicator assembly is held out of contact withthe container walls. j

In use, the charged applicator is withdrawn from its container, theholder thereof being manually grasped by the fingers, and is rubbedlightly over the surface of a print for coating said surface. Thefrictional pressure between the surface of the print and the absorbentelement causes the liquid coating composition to be discharged from theabsorbent element upon the surface of the print. By increasing thepressure applied to the applicator device or by squeezing said device,an additional quantity of liquid coating composition will be dischargedfrom the absorbent element. Upon completion of the coating operation,the applicator device is returned to the container and the stopper orclosure is placed in its closed position.

Since certain changes may be made in the above product without departingfrom the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:

I. An applicator device for applying a liquid coating composition to thesurface of a photographic print, said device comprising a holder and anabsorbent element supported by and retained in said holder, the mass ofsaid absorbent element being so proportioned as to ahsorbedly carry avolume of liquid composition sufficient to coat a plurality ofphotographic prints, said holder comprising an elongated, generallychannel-shaped member having a base with legs extending therefrom,extensions to said legs extending inward at an acute angle therewith soas to form internal divergent sides diverging towards the opening ofsaid channel, said coating element being frictionally retained betweenthe edges of said internal divergent sides,.said coating element havinga working portion which extends beyond the free ends of said legs, saidportion being contactable with the surface of a photographic print fordischarging the liquid composition absorbed into said working portionupon said surface, said internal divergent sides being adapted to applypressure to the portion of said absorbent element retained therebetweenwhen said holder is squeezed, said pressurebeing so directed as to forcesaid liquid out of that portion of said absorbent element retainedbetween said divergent sides into said working portion wherein it isreadily available for application to a surface, said holder providingmeans for manually grasping and squeezing said applicator without fingercontact with said coating element.

2. An applicator device for manually applying a liquid coatingcomposition to a surface, said device comprising, in combination, aholder and an absorbent coating element substantially equal in length tosaid holder and supported by and retained in said holder, said holdercomprising an elongated, generally channelshaped member having a basewith externally concave legs extending therefrom, extensions to saidlegs extending inwardly at acute angles therewith to form internallydivergent sides diverging toward the opening of said channel, saidabsorbent element being frictionally retained within the relativelynarrow opening between the edges of said internal divergent sides, aportion of said absorbent element, extending between said edges andlying adjacent to said bottom, being expanded to a thickness greaterthan the width between said legs, said absorbent element having aworking portion whichextends beyond the free ends of said legs, saidworking portion being contactable with a surface for discharging aliquid coating composition absorbed into said working portion upon saidsurface, said internally divergent sides being adapted to apply pressureto the portion of said absorbent element retained therebetween when saidholder is manually squeezed, said pressure being so directed as to forcesaid liquid out of that portion of said absorbent element retainedbetween said divergent sides into said working portion wherein it isreadily available for application to a surface, said holder providingmeans for manually grasping and squeezing said applicator without fingercontact with said absorbent element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS HoeftSept. 25, 1923 Rader Apr. 9, 1940 Dukehart, Jr Apr. 8, 1941 Roehrl Oct.5, 1954 Land et al Oct. 26, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1904

